Is Kenya Open?

Published: January - 2001

Near press time, we were copied on several pages of information relating to hunts in Kenya. Seems a South African PH, who has since backed away from the hunts and asked us to keep his name confidential, had sent the information out to a Hunting Report subscriber "...simply to gauge the level of interest in Kenyan hunting." That subscriber subsequently asked us for advice and feedback.

We are not sure who in Kenya initiated the feelers about hunting and how widely they have been disseminated. Suffice it to say, all our contacts say hunting is still officially closed in Kenya, which means these hunts are illegal, if they involve the exchange of money and result in trophies being shipped out of the country afterward. Even as in-country "cropping expeditions," they are at the very least un-legal if they involve the exchange of money. All things considered, we think these hunts are to be avoided. That's especially true for Americans who are subject to the Lacey Act, which makes it a criminal offense to import a trophy taken illegally in another country.

For the record, the hunts outlined in the pages we received sounded interesting indeed, offering lion, buffalo, eland and a host of sought-after East Africa species. Daily rates were pegged at $1,000 a day, and trophy fees ranged from $3,000 for lion and $2,250 for buffalo, down to $850 for a zebra and $450 for impala. The nostalgia value alone of these hunts makes those prices seem quite cheap, no?

We'll keep you posted on hunting in Kenya, and hope informed subscribers and hunting professionals will help us do that by sending us what they know. There are, of course, game populations in Kenya that need "cropping" from time to time; and, for all we know, some private landowners may be inviting friends in to help. That kind of activity, however, is a far cry from legal safari hunting, which can result in trophy shipment afterward. A word to the wise should be sufficient....